Cultural Exchange for a Nutritious Lifestyle

Today’s share has come all the way from Albania! Yes, SBS has gone global

Cultural exchange for a nutritious lifestyle

As an Albanian student living in France, every time I meet new people, other than climate, politics, languages, one of the inevitable discussions is about global food culture and conversations surrounding how different cultures enjoy food. One of the great things about traveling then is that you get to pick up the best practices from different cultures and apply it to your own lifestyle. Similarly, you get to share yours with others and they are free to choose as well.For instance, for almost an entire month, I watched Tehzeeb eat French food in France but the Indian way—legs folded on the chair and with her hands when she could. This fascinated me and she went onto explain how creating a morsel with your own fingers ensures that your bites are small and that you take your time eating the food. Folding legs re-directs blood circulation to the stomach thereby aiding digestion.France is big on the concept of taking your time to eat food and spending quality time with people at the lunch/dinner table. Back home in Albania, while there were structured meal times, there was also a huge snacking culture which I see a lack of in France. We eat a fruit or a small snack in between meals as and when hungry as opposed to starving and waiting around for a dedicated meal hour.So there I was about two months or so ago, in France—eating my meals slowly like the French, including mid-meal snacks like I did back home and learning about the Indian way of eating which I can’t wait to apply the next time I am at an Indian restaurant. A true blue global encounter treading to a healthier path!